


Chiss Defector

by JeMiChi



Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Burns, Canon-Typical Violence, Chiss, Chiss Defector NPC, Drug Abuse, Found Family, Frostbite, Gen, Hallucinations, Hoth, Hurt/Comfort, Imperial Agent Storyline Spoilers, Implied/Referenced Torture, Medical Procedures, Mental Disorders, Oni / Lonis / Yal'oni'sodrasi, Psychological Trauma, Serious Injuries, Shamyrah, Smuggler Storyline Spoilers, Xenophobia, Zabrak
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:48:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24735652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JeMiChi/pseuds/JeMiChi
Summary: This story takes place on Hoth where the Smuggler Shamyrah encounters the Chiss Defector. The fate of this poor NPC always broke my heart so I decided to write this. The story follows the canon story for the most part, but this time the Chiss lives - even if just barely.Lots of spoilers from both the Smuggler and the Imperial Agent storylines from SWTOR. Be prepared for a lot of descriptions about physical and psychological problems and medical procedures, but also some much needed fluff. The main focus is on the original characters. I hope you enjoy! ^^
Relationships: Corso Riggs/Female Smuggler
Kudos: 8





	1. Ice and Fire

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SamiraHeaven93](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SamiraHeaven93/gifts).



> The Smuggler character Shamyrah is based on my friend @SamiraHeaven93 so this is dedicated to her.  
> The very unfortunate Chiss here is based mainly on the Chiss Defector NPC from the Questionable Sources quest on Hoth and the Imperial Agent player character, so expect spoilers from the game. Other references included as seen fit.

Her visit to the Outpost Cresh had been meant as a quick stop during her mission on Hoth. The small outpost offered much needed shelter from the elements, and Shamyrah had simply planned to restock on some supplies and continue her journey with Corso and Bowdaar, but her encounter with Major Vinson had abruptly changed everything.

While Corso and Bowdaar went to grab some warm soup, Vinson had stopped her to share a holo recording; an SOS message from a Chiss who claimed he wanted to defect. The man had flashed out the recording like some scandalous news, and likely expected a totally different reaction from her.

Everyone knew that the Chiss were allied with the Empire and were cunning warriors, so it would have been easy to brush the call off as an attempt to lure them into a trap. But Shamyrah had learned the Chiss were also extremely proud and wouldn't lower themselves to appear weak unless they were really desperate. And desperate was certainly how the Chiss had appeared; begging for help and requesting sanctuary from the Republic because the Empire was hunting him, and he was caught under heavy fire and wouldn't last long.

The Chiss had also offered a datadisc full of Imperial secrets in return for help, and in the current situation that was a hard offer to pass. Even Vinson agreed to that, although Shamyrah was able to see his poorly veiled contempt for the alien under the surface.

The Republic was much more accepting towards alien species than the Empire, sure, but xenophobia was still common, even if more hidden. As a nonhuman herself, Shamyrah knew that painfully well.

From a distance she appeared human enough that most people didn't pay attention to her, but when she got close enough they could see the markings on her face and the horns on her head that revealed she was actually a Zabrak.

But the attitudes people had towards her because of her appearance were mild compared to the attitudes people had towards the Chiss. And that wasn't only because they were blue and had glowing red eyes. As allies to the Empire, the Republic viewed them as monsters, plain and simple.

But Shamyrah had always been as neutral as it gets, and she wasn't going to ignore a call for help just because of the species of the caller. She knew better. Each species and faction had people of many kinds, and even the Empire wasn't all evil, no matter what the people claimed.

As a smuggler she had contacts on both sides and had only recently been roped into helping the Republic, although unofficially of course.

Corso and Bowie had finished their meal and returned to find Shamyrah was already ready to depart.

”Wait, we are leaving already?” Corso looked at her surprised. ”Aren't you going to get anything, Captain?”

”I'm fine,” Shamyrah assured. ”Got some new intel and we've got an urgent rescue mission in our hands, so we'd better take care of that first.”

Bowdaar roared in understanding. He had never forgotten how he had been saved from slavery himself, so he approved helping others whenever possible.

”Okay, so the usual change in the plans then.” Corso nodded. Life never got boring in this crew. ”But who exactly are we saving?”

”That's the interesting part. This guy is a Chiss.”

”A Chiss?!” Corso exclaimed. ”Captain! Are you serious?”

Shamyrah gave him a reprimanding glare before answering.

”There was a SOS message. He's defecting, but naturally the Empire isn't letting him go easily.”

”Sounds like trouble,” Bowie roared in Shyriiwook.

Corso gave Shamyrah a concerned look, but he knew better than to question her decisions, so he didn't argue the matter.

Rocinante, their newly tamed tauntaun was waiting patiently outside the base, digging the snow with his large feet, grazing for food with other tauntauns.

Having a tauntaun made life on Hoth much easier, as the animal was used to the cold climate and could run up and down the snowy mountains with ease. Rocinante was still in training, so normally he'd only carry their supplies, but in an emergency he'd be able to carry up to two people as well.

Bowdaar wasn't happy about the snow sticking to his fur, but his long limbs allowed him to walk in the snow more easily than the human or the Zabrak would, so he let the two ride and followed in the tauntaun's footprints without complaining much as they made their way towards the coordinates they'd received from Vinson. The animal was still slightly afraid of the wookiee anyway.

Shamyrah was determined to save the defector, but as they approached the coordinates, it became clear that wouldn't be an easy task. The whole area was filled with Imperial soldiers, each carrying either a flamethrower or a cryo weapon. None of the three were able to locate the Chiss defector anywhere, but it wasn't surprising. If he was in trouble, like he had claimed, he couldn't stay out in the open with all these soldiers patrolling the area. He must have hidden somewhere. The only place that offered any cover for hiding in the area was a wreck of a ship nearby, so she knew where she needed to start looking.

They left Rocinante on the mountains. A tauntaun wouldn't draw much attention wandering the mountains here. They'd return for him later.

Shamyrah took the lead, sneaking in the shadows and hiding behind piles of snow while moving towards the wreck. The other two were following, but left some distance between her and each other to make sure that even if one of them was spotted, the other two would remain unnoticed, and would be able to help if necessary. But most of the soldiers had their eyes towards the road and weren't expecting an intruder to walk in their midst.

As Shamyrah reached the shipwreck, there was still no sign of the Chiss anywhere. She was about to give up, when a scorched lump in the snow caught her attention.

One of the soldiers was kneeled next to it and reaching for something. She realized it was a datadisc.

But as soon as it dawned on her that the scorched something must have been the body of the Chiss, now lying face down in the snow, the soldier noticed her and attacked.

Corso and Bowdaar hurried to her aid and they were able to defeat the Imperial without alerting any of the others.

With a deep sigh, Shamyrah walked to the scorched body of the Chiss. Upon closer inspection she could tell he had been attacked with both the flamethrowers and the cryo weapons, freezing his already burned body.

”They must have really wanted him dead,” she said as she kneeled to pick up the datadisc from the snow next to the body.

Bowdaar agreed with a sorrowful roar.

”He must have had intel the Empire couldn't afford the Republic to get,” Corso noted as he also knelt down to check the corpse in case the Chiss had been carrying anything else of importance.

”At least we know he was serious,” Shamyrah lamented as she turned around to walk away. As much as she would have liked to bury the body, the war left little time to worry about the dead. ”It's such a pity we didn't make it in time. Just a moment earlier and -”

”Wait!”

She was interrupted by Corso's surprised shout and quickly turned around to see what was wrong.

”You won't believe it, but this guy... He's still alive!”

Corso had placed his hand on the neck of the Chiss and was looking at Shamyrah in disbelief.

”No way!”

Shamyrah had to feel his pulse herself before she could believe it, but it was there. Weak and uneven, but still there.

The two rolled the Chiss on his back carefully. His face wasn't burned as badly but the damage was serious and he was barely breathing. His arms and legs had nearly frozen solid and the freezing climate was quickly spreading the cold through his whole body.

Shamyrah removed her long winter coat quickly and wrapped it around the alien. Corso was about to protest and offer his jacket instead, but Shamyrah silenced his chivalrous arguments before he even got started.

Her coat was longer and Corso would be needing his jacket more anyway, because she planned to take Rocinante and ride back to the Burrow, her ship, together with the Chiss, leaving the two to follow her on foot.

She had already tried to call for a shuttle to pick them up, but the comms were jammed and they all knew there was no time to lose if they wanted to save the life of the Chiss, and she sure did.

”Bowie, please,” Shamyrah gestured for the Wookiee to help and Bowdaar nodded as he joined the other two. He lifted the body up with ease and carried the Chiss through the snow, following the route they'd used when they arrived, while Shamyrah and Corso followed.

Back in the safety of the mountains, Corso whistled for Rocinante to return to them.

It didn't take long for the tauntaun to arrive, and Shamyrah climbed on the creature.

Bowdaar placed the Chiss on the saddle in front of her so she could hold him steady with one hand while using the reins with the other.

Shamyrah pulled an extra blanket from the saddlebag and wrapped it around the frozen Chiss as well to preserve what little warmth there was left in his body. She sat in the saddle awkwardly while holding the unconscious man against her chest.

Corso was better at riding, but he had taught her the basics and as the Captain, she needed to be the one going. The Republic would surely find it suspicious when she'd bring a Chiss in, but at least she had the authority to keep them from stopping her. Corso and Bowie would follow her as fast as they could.

”Call the others when you can use the comms, and let them know we need the ship extra warm and the medbay prepared,” Shamyrah instructed Corso as she took the reins and gave the tauntaun a gentle squeeze with her heels.

”Be careful, okay?”

Corso was walking restlessly by her side and Shamyrah reached down to give him a quick kiss on his forehead before urging Rocinante to move faster.

”I promise. See you in a bit,” she shouted as the tauntaun started running with long strides across the snow, leaving the man behind.

The Chiss was freezing cold against Shamyrah's chest. It was hard to believe she was holding a living being, and only his weak breathing proved he hadn't died already.

”You guys are really tough, aren't you?”

Shamyrah tightened her grip to hold his body even closer to hers to keep what little warmth he had left inside from vanishing completely. His head flopped limply on her shoulder with every leap the tauntaun made.

”You made it this far, don't give up now,” she whispered as they reached the spaceport.

The guards only stopped her briefly to check her ID and didn't ask about the Chiss. Looking at the bundle in her lap, she realized that they must have thought she was carrying a corpse. You could barely tell the body belonged to a Chiss when he had been scorched black for the most part.

Even Shamyrah had initially thought he was dead, but here it was a welcomed surprise. The two men at the gate only exchanged puzzled looks as she rushed her tauntaun forward, towards her ship. Strange things happened in a war all the time, so they probably didn't want to know what someone wanted to do with a burned corpse.

Risha was already standing by the ramp as Shamyrah approached the ship. She waved at her but stepped aside when she realized that the Captain wasn't planning to slow down.

Shamyrah nodded gratefully at her and rode the tauntaun all the way up the ramp and through the open door inside the ship. She only stopped right behind the door to the infirmary.

”Welcome back, Master,” C2-N2 greeted as she passed the droid.

Akaavi, the Mandalorian Zabrak Shamyrah had adopted into her family had been waiting for her and helped her down from the saddle. Together they carried the dead weight of the Chiss inside the medbay and laid him on the bed.

”Are you sure he's alive?” Akaavi asked in her solemn tone as she eyed the body.

”Last I checked,” Shamyrah sighed. ”I'd like to keep it that way.”

”Then we'd better get started,” came Risha's voice from the doorway. She was struggling to get past Rocinante, who was way too large to be standing in the narrow corridor. The tauntaun whined in protest but stepped out of the doorway so Risha could enter.

They all knew that the medcenters in the outposts were better equipped for dealing with injuries this severe, but they also knew the equipment there was in high demand by the military and they'd never approve bringing a Chiss there.

The Burrow had decent equipment, including a single Kolto tank in the infirmary, even if slightly outdated in comparison. For now it was the best they had, and it would have to do.

Shamyrah noted that the Kolto tank had been prepared while she was on her way, and it was ready to use.

C2-N2 ensured that the infirmary was also extra warm as requested, as the droid happily informed from the doorway.

While Shamyrah gathered the necessary tools, Akaavi had pulled an oxygen mask from the wall panel and placed it on the face of the Chiss to assist his breathing.

Risha had managed to remove his boots and uniform.

Shamyrah was surprised to discover that while the clothes had been scorched black on the outside, the inside of the outfit looked much better.

”Interesting material,” Risha commented while she folded the clothes, clearly noticing the same thing.

”Looks like it absorbed most of the energy,” Akaavi noted with some curiosity.

Thanks to that, the skin of the Chiss hadn't suffered nearly as much damage as Shamyrah had feared. The burns were still severe, but they didn't cover his whole body and would likely heal well with some Kolto treatment.

”I'm assuming we can't just drop him in the tank to deal with those?”

”No. He'd die,” Akaavi confirmed bluntly.

”Unfortunately it won't be of use unless we can stabilize him first. The enhanced healing will put more strain on his heart and it's already at its limit,” Risha explained grimly. ”And he'll need circulation back in those limbs before that,” she added and gestured at the unnaturally pale arms and legs of the Chiss.

”I figured as much. He definitely needs some defrosting, that's for sure,” Shamyrah agreed and started placing heat pads on and around his body.

After some struggle, the other two had managed to attach an IV-line to his upper arm, proving the usefulness of the Mandalorian field medic training once again. The warm fluids should help him regain some warmth inside his body.

Shamyrah applied some Kolto spray directly on the burns on the man's face and head. His hair had burned in patches and the exposed skin was more red than blue, so she sprayed the medicine on all those wounds and carefully covered the Chiss with a blanket.

Once all that was done, the three sat down in silence. All they could do was wait and hope for the best.

Eventually Risha broke the silence.

”I must admit, I never expected you to come back with a Chiss. How did that happen?”

”Well, you know me. The Empire was giving him trouble and he asked for help, so of course I had to,” Shamyrah shrugged and smiled tiredly.

Risha raised an eyebrow.

”The Empire giving him trouble is quite an understatement if his current condition is any indigation.”

”Yeah, I guess he gave them some trouble and they didn't like it.”

Shamyrah picked up the datadisc she had found with the Chiss.

”He wanted to share some inside knowledge with the Republic.”

Risha's eyes sparkled as she looked at the datadisc.

”Can I take a look?”

”Sure, just don't touch anything. It's for the Republic and we are handing it over as soon as possible.”

”Understood,” Risha said and vanished from the room.

Almost as soon as she had left, Corso and Bowdaar arrived.

Bowdaar roared a greeting as quietly as he could, as if his voice might wake up the sleeping patient.

Corso waved to Shamyrah from the doorway before he grabbed Rocinante's reins and escorted the animal elsewhere on the ship. The tauntaun seemed happy to finally get somewhere with more space to move and followed Corso eagerly.

Rocinante would have to get used to the life on the ship sooner or later if they wanted to take him with them to their next destination, so it was as good a time to start training the creature for space travel as any.

When Corso finally entered the infirmary, he glanced at the unconscious Chiss and then exchanged looks with Shamyrah.

”How are things here?”

”He's alive, so I guess that's a good sign. But there isn't much we can do until he gets a bit warmth in his body.”

Corso frowned slightly.

”I meant you. How are you holding up?”

Shamyrah realized that her exhaustion was showing on her face. She had been too busy to even notice how tired she was until then, and she had missed her meal at the outpost.

She flashed a reassuring smile at Corso and poked his chest gently.

”Look who is talking. I'm fine, I promise.”

”If you say so, Captain.” Corso smiled warmly at her.

Just then they heard the rustling of the blankets as the Chiss stirred awake. He blinked his glowing red eyes a few times, still clearly disoriented, before his gaze started darting around the room, taking in his surroundings and pausing on the single exit.

”Hey,” Shamyrah called him softly.

The Chiss only looked at her for a moment, before his eyes locked on something behind her and widened in panic. His attention moved briefly to the IV line attached to his arm and the medical equipment in the room, and returned to whatever he was seeing behind Shamyrah. Abruptly he started thrashing wildly like he was fighting invisible enemies, his arms and legs flailing uselessly, which only seemed to intensify his panic.

Shamyrah was by his side in an instant, followed by Corso and Akaavi.

”It's alright. You are safe,” Shamyrah tried, but the Chiss ignored her. He had managed to tear out the IV in his struggle and the oxygen mask had fallen to the side.

Akaavi stepped in, planning to hold the man still, but the eyes of the Chiss widened in terror again and he managed to throw himself entirely off the bed, falling face down to the floor with a thud, still tangled in his blankets.

”Leave this to me,” Shamyrah ordered and gestured for the other two to give her some space.

”Whatever you say,” Akaavi agreed with a shrug and moved to lean against the doorframe.

Corso hesitated.

”Be careful, okay. Maybe he's not on our side after all. He was an Imperial, you know...”

Shamyrah silenced him with a raised hand.

”That's not it. I don't think he has any idea what's going on.”

As Corso moved slightly to the side, still watching the Chiss warily, Shamyrah sat on her knees by the Chiss' side. He had stopped flailing and was trembling violently under the blankets.

Shamyrah lifted the tangled mess off his face and the gaze of the Chiss finally met hers.

”Listen,” she started calmly. ”You are safe here, so let us help you, okay?”

She reached slowly towards the man. The Chiss didn't resist as she rolled him around gently, but the look on his face wasn't that of trust. It was the face of someone who has given up and resigned to his fate.

Shamyrah sighed and tried again.

”My name is Shamyrah and this is my crew. You are on my ship.”

Then she realized the Chiss had fallen unconscious again, and wouldn't hear anything she was saying. She looked at Akaavi and Corso who were still watching her.

”Could you help me get this guy back to bed?”

With their help, the Chiss was lifted from the floor with ease. Shamyrah placed a Kolto patch on the wound left by the rough removal of the IV and returned the mask on his face to assist his breathing.

”Maybe he should be restrained for the time being,” Corso suggested. ”For his own good,” he added quickly when he saw Shamyrah's expression.

”I know what you mean,” Shamyrah said reluctantly. ”But I don't think that's a good idea.”

She wasn't sure how, but somehow she knew that would make things worse.

Corso knew from experience that it was usually best to trust her judgement, so he just nodded and left it at that.

Akaavi had finished placing a new IV line on the arm of the Chiss, and observed him quietly for a moment before she looked at Shamyrah.

”Chiss are cunning warriors, but this one is fighting an enemy that can't be defeated with power or intelligence.”

”That's really deep, but you are right,” Shamyrah agreed with the Mandalorian. ”Which is why we shouldn't leave him to fight it alone.”

Corso looked at them both clearly confused, and shrugged.

Shamyrah smiled at Akaavi.

”You care about him, don't you?”

”No,” Akaavi deadpanned. ”But you do, and that's what matters to me. Just remember that if he ever turns against us, I will not hesitate to kill him.”

”I know. And I appreciate it,” Shamyrah said, and meant it. She respected the honesty of the Mandalorian, and she was grateful she had decided to help, whether it was her own will or not.

”I will not attack someone defenceless,” Akaavi added, as if reading her thoughts. ”Might as well get him back to his feet to see if he's worthy of anything.”

After that Akaavi returned to the doorway, standing there silently like a guard. She never let her guard down, not even on the ship.

Meanwhile Corso was walking around the room restlessly. Shamyrah sat on the bed next to the unconscious Chiss, watching the slow rise and fall of his chest. He looked more like a living person now, but falling to the floor had made his injuries worse. His damaged skin had broken from several places that were oozing blood. He'd need the Kolto treatment as soon as possible, but it was still too big a risk.

Shamyrah sprayed Kolto on the worst of the injuries as gently as she could and covered the Chiss with the blanket again.

Eventually it became impossible to ignore Corso's restless pacing and the pouty look he was giving her.

”What? Don't tell me you are jealous.” Shamyrah looked up at him and placed the medical supplies on the side.

”Can you blame me?” Corso retorted and stopped walking.

”Whatever, just don't get yourself injured like this only because you want me to take care of you too.” Shamyrah shook her head, but smiled. ”You should know you are the only one for me by now.”

Corso blushed slightly at that and smiled.

Shamyrah leaned back slightly and relaxed her shoulders while she contemplated her next words.

”Back at the outpost, when we heard this guy's desperate message,” she paused and looked at Corso in the eyes. ”You know what I was thinking at the time?”

”What?”

”I knew he had nowhere to go. But look at him! He's just a boy!”

Corso rolled his eyes.

”No, he's definitely not a kid,” he said. ”But I get what you mean.”

Shamyrah smiled.

”When I saw him, I thought this person would be our son.”

”Our... son?!” Corso sputtered, surprised.

”Yeah.” Shamyrah nodded. ”We are all family here already, aren't we? What's one more?”

Corso was stroking his chin, deep in thought.

”Our son,” he whispered to himself, as if testing the words.

”Only if he wants that of course,” Shamyrah added. ”We still don't know anything about him after all.”

But Corso didn't seem to be listening. He was looking at the Chiss with new interest, an unreadable expression on his face.

”Aliit ori'shya tal'din.”

The words surprised the two and they both turned around to see Akaavi observing them from the doorway. They had nearly forgotten she was there.

”Hmm? What does that mean?” Shamyrah asked the Mandalorian with a raised eyebrow. She rarely spoke Mando'a in their presence, even with other Mandalorians, so this was unusual.

Akaavi looked at her with a nearly nostalgic expression.

”You already know.”

This time even Shamyrah was confused. How could she possibly know what it meant when she didn't understand the language.

Akaavi looked at the Chiss and then back at Shamyrah and Corso.

”It is a great honor and a great responsibility, a true family bound by something more important than blood. Even if you don't honor our traditions in a battle, in some ways you are a lot like a Mandalorian.”

Shamyrah wasn't sure if she should take that as a compliment or not, but she decided to do so. And she certainly agreed with her idea of a family so she nodded approvingly.

”We may not be your Clan, but you are part of our family too,” she reminded her.

”Thank you,” Akaavi said quietly, still not used to the idea.

There was a brief silence and Corso finally settled down and sat on the vacant bed facing Shamyrah.

As time dragged on, Shamyrah and Corso ended up chatting casually about topics ranging from proper blaster care to their favourite snacks and planets they'd like to visit.

Abruptly, Akaavi tensed in the doorway and Corso stopped mid-sentence, alerting Shamyrah that the Chiss had regained consciousness behind her.

Corso was about to stand up, but Shamyrah stopped him with a raised finger. The man took the hint and sat down, although his attempt to act normal was awkward at best.

Shamyrah didn't turn to look at the Chiss until she sensed his eyes on her, giving him time to take in his surroundings in peace.

When she returned his gaze, the Chiss appeared calm, even when he had a confused frown on his face. At least his gaze wasn't darting around the room like the last time.

”Welcome back,” Shamyrah greeted him in a gentle tone. ”You are hurt so don't try to move just yet. But you are safe here,” she assured him.

The man looked at the doorway again, as if making sure the exit was clear.

Shamyrah sighed.

”If you really want to leave, it's okay. No one will get in your way to stop you. But I really mean it when I say you are hurt. I'm not sure you can even move with such serious injuries, so I'd suggest you'd stay here at least until you've healed a little.”

The Chiss focused on her again and then looked around the room, paying attention to the other two who were watching him.

”You are on my ship and these are my crew,” Shamyrah explained gesturing towards Corso and Akaavi, when she noticed the questioning frown on the face of the Chiss.

Corso waved to the man awkwardly, and Shamyrah could almost hear him repeating the words ”our son” in his mind.

Akaavi merely nodded.

The Chiss mumbled something into his mask.

”May I?” Shamyrah asked before she reached carefully to remove the oxygen mask from his face.

The Chiss tensed, but didn't resist.

”We got your message, but barely made it in time,” Shamyrah explained.

The Chiss looked at her for a moment in silence.

”The Republic?” he finally asked in a raspy voice.

”We are mostly an independent crew, but we are allies to the Republic,” Shamyrah told him. ”Is that a problem?”

The Chiss took a shaky breath.

”The datadisc?”

”We got it too, don't worry,” Shamyrah answered soothingly.

”Urgent,” the Chiss barely managed to say.

”Risha, another crew member is looking at it now. We'll get it to the Republic right away.”

”Now,” the Chiss pleaded.

Shamyrah frowned.

”Okay.” She looked at Corso. ”Could you check on Risha and make sure the data gets to the base right away?”

For a moment it looked like Corso was about to protest, but decided otherwise and brushed past Akaavi and out of the infirmary.

The Chiss relaxed slightly, but jolted again when Bowdaar appeared in the room.

”This is Bowie, part of the crew as well. We are all family here so no need to worry,” Shamyrah reassured him.

”Actually, your timing is perfect,” she told the Wookiee. ”I was just about to ask Akaavi to get a warm drink for this guy.”

”I would have refused. Someone needs to keep watch,” Akaavi informed matter-of-factly.

”So there you have it.” Shamyrah shrugged apologetically.

Bowdaar roared in understanding and promised he'd take care of it.

Shamyrah looked back at the Chiss.

”So, umm... Tea? Is tea okay, or would you prefer something else?”

The man blinked in surprise at first, but then he nodded slowly.

”Tea it is then!”

Bowdaar nodded and left the room again, just as Corso returned.

”Risha is on it,” he informed.

Shamyrah could sense the relief from the Chiss as he heard those words.

”Now back to you...” She looked at the man lying on the bed. ”Can you move your fingers now?”

The Chiss gave her a puzzled look at first, then tried to lift his head to see his limbs.

”Take it easy,” Shamyrah told him. ”Just try if you can move them a little. I want to know what we are dealing with.”

The Chiss nodded slightly and focused on the task.

The three others in the room all watched him closely. There was a pitiful twitch, but it was there. He would be ready for the Kolto treatment and would likely heal well.

The Chiss made a frustrated grunt and frowned.

”Don't worry,” Shamyrah reassured. ”It will take some time, but you'll be fine.”

A moment later Bowdaar arrived with a cup of steaming hot tea, Shamyrah's favorite kind.

”Thank you, Bowie!”

As Shamyrah took the offered cup from the Wookiee, the Chiss struggled to get up again and grimaced as the movement caused his burned skin to crack painfully.

”I told you to take it easy,” Shamyrah reminded as she placed her free hand on the man's shoulder. ”You are badly hurt and you need to let those injuries heal.”

”She means it,” Corso said. ”You were grilled meat back there, we didn't think you were even alive at first!” He shook his head. ”Even now you look like a Ronto that took a dip in a volcano!”

Shamyrah nodded at Corso, who sat down on the bed as well. Together they helped the Chiss to sit between them so he could drink.

Once again the man tried to move his hand in order to take the cup himself, but his arm was barely responding and he sighed.

”You are really stubborn, aren't you?” Corso commented.

Shamyrah had to agree.

”I know you've got your pride, but accepting help when you need it doesn't make you weak or anything,” she said calmly. She was familiar with this type, and knew to be respectful yet strict.

The Chiss gave up and allowed her to lift the cup to his lips. He drank the tea eagerly.

”Thank you,” he said quietly after he was done. His voice was weak but sounded more normal now.

Corso helped him to lie down again.

”You are aware of your situation now,” Shamyrah started. ”We've got a Kolto tank ready for you to heal those burns. A couple of days there should do wonders, but of course we won't force you to stay here. So what do you say, will you trust us to take care of you while you recover?”

The Chiss studied her for a moment before he nodded tiredly. Whether he trusted them or not, he clearly understood there was nowhere else for him to go. Especially in his current state.

”Good. You probably know how this works. You'll be sleeping while the medicine helps you heal, and when you wake up, you should be feeling a whole lot better.”

”Just do it,” the Chiss said, his voice barely a whisper.

Akaavi was quickly by their side, adjusting the mask on the man's face and administering the anaesthetic.

There was a flash of fear in the eyes of the Chiss as the medicine started to take effect and he was left helpless at their mercy, but it faded away quickly as he fell unconscious.

”Poor guy,” Shamyrah lamented as Corso and Bowdaar took him to the Kolto tank.

Akaavi shrugged, seemingly indifferent, but there was a strange look in her eyes.

Now all they could do was wait, so everyone scattered around the ship to do their duties and get some much needed rest.

Shamyrah knew she wouldn't be able to rest just yet, so she decided to go and find Risha, to see what the datadisc had been all about. Maybe there would be a mission for her to take care of.

* * *

Thank you for reading!

Enjoy some art related to the characters / story:

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	2. Names

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for the Chiss son to wake up! He barely got a moment of being awake in the first chapter so it's finally time to meet him properly!

Shamyrah finished cleaning her wounds. They weren't serious, just some scratches on her hands, but they stung whenever she touched something. It was just her luck to come out of a fight against pirates without a single injury, just to wound her hands while opening a crate. She was glad Corso wasn't around to see them at the moment. His caring personality was definitely one of the best things about him, but Shamyrah didn't want him to worry about such a minor problem while their mission on the planet was still far from finished.

She closed the medpac and took a look at the Kolto tank in the corner of the room. The blue liquid made it nearly impossible to tell that the man quietly floating there was a Chiss.

The enhanced healing had been as effective as Shamyrah had hoped.

She had to admit that she had no idea how similar or different the Chiss were physically compared to other humanoid species, so she was relieved to see the treatment was working well. In a few days most of his burns and wounds had vanished and were replaced with healthy skin. There would be some scars, that was only natural, but she was certain the man would make a full recovery otherwise.

Shamyrah had prepared some towels and blankets that were in neat piles on the bed now, just waiting for the Chiss to emerge from the tank.

As soon as Corso would return from his supply run, they'd wake him up.

*****

After Corso had handed the crate of new supplies to C2-N2, he walked to the infirmary and found the rest of the crew already gathered there.

”Hey! Looks like I'm almost late to the party,” he greeted.

”Not at all.”

Shamyrah gave him a welcoming hug, and shuddered because the man was freezing cold from his trip outside.

”You sure you don't need to warm yourself up first?”

”I'm fine,” he assured with a smile. ”Wouldn't want to miss all the fun.”

”Good. Time to welcome our newest member then!”

”I will only stay until he's out of there,” Akaavi said while she worked on the controls of the Kolto tank. ”He should wake up any minute now.”

”Right.” Shamyrah picked up one of the towels and everyone fell silent as they waited.

It didn't take long.

The Chiss twitched slightly and then his glowing eyes opened in the tank. He quickly realized that the liquid level had been lowered so he was able to stand easily and remove his mask. He took a few deep breaths and then allowed the crew to help him climb out of the tank and onto the nearest bed, where he took the towel offered by Shamyrah and wrapped it around himself.

”Welcome back. It's a pleasure to finally meet you properly,” she said happily.

”The geothermal station,” the Chiss started, ignoring the greeting. ”Was it destroyed?”

”It wasn't,” Shamyrah answered.

”I see. So the Empire has it now,” the Chiss said coldly.

Shamyrah shook her head and smiled.

”No, I defended it with the Ortolans. Thanks to your intel I got there in time.”

The Chiss stared at her with a surprised expression on his face.

”Now I can understand why the Republic chose to send you to answer my call.”

There was deep respect in his voice now and Shamyrah didn't have the heart to tell the man that the Republic hadn't exactly chosen her. She had just happened to be there when his message was received and probably wasn't even the first person the message had been shared with, just the only one who had volunteered to take her chances with a Chiss.

”Now that you are awake, I think it's time to get you some clothes,” Shamyrah said, changing the subject. ”I think Corso is about the same size, so maybe you could borrow some from him for the time being.”

The words became a question as she turned to look at Corso for confirmation.

The man shrugged casually.

”Sure, I have some I haven't used for a while... Actually, scrap that! Just pick whatever you want! And no need to return them. It's not like you can buy your own clothes now.”

”I understand,” the Chiss said coldly. ”I'll work hard to -”

”Seriously, that's not necessary,” Corso interrupted him. ”It's the least I can do. Besides, you already gave us that data. That was a big help!”

Shamyrah nodded in agreement.

”Thanks to that, the Imperials aren't as big a problem so I can focus on the pirates again.”

The Chiss frowned a little. He studied each of the people in the room in silence for a moment.

”I can tell you aren't soldiers. Even for mercenaries you are an unusual bunch. What exactly are you doing here?”

Shamyrah nodded.

”You are right. The Republic hired us for a mission here, but normally we transport goods to those in need and help where we can.”

”The Captain is a real hero if I've ever seen one,” Corso commented with pride and love in his eyes.

”Smugglers in other words,” the Chiss deduced and looked at them with an unreadable expression.

”You can tell?” Shamyrah looked surprised.

The Chiss shrugged indifferently.

”The ship isn't something any official transport services would use. In my line of work you need to pay attention to details like that.”

”Is that a problem?”

Shamyrah had a serious look on her face. She wasn't happy about the implications that her ship didn't meet the official standards, but she knew the man was right.

”It's not my place to complain,” the Chiss said tiredly.

”Anyway,” Corso interrupted. ”We can talk about that later. We got more important matters to think about. For starters, I can show you where to find the clothes now, if you are ready.”

The Chiss turned his attention to him and nodded.

He got up slowly, testing his feet. His legs were still shaky and unsteady, so he couldn't move very fast.

Shamyrah offered him her shoulder for support, but he raised his hand slightly to stop her, so she let the man follow Corso on his own.

Corso made sure to walk slowly as he guided the Chiss through the ship, allowing the man to take breaks on the way.

Shamyrah watched the two vanish behind a corner. After that, she and the others returned to their duties on the ship. Shamyrah figured that the two men could use a cup of caf after they were done picking clothes for the Chiss, so she followed Bowie to the kitchen.

*****

Corso showed the Chiss his wardrobe.

”Like I said, pick whatever you want. I got more than enough.”

The Chiss studied the clothes in silence and finally picked a simple shirt and pants.

Corso frowned.

”That won't do. You really don't need to hold back. It's cold out there, you'll need way more than that!”

”I can handle cold well, it's not a problem.”

”I noticed. Most people would be dead if they had been frozen the way you were...”

Corso shook his head.

”But that's not the point,” he added.

He dug out a warm coat, a sweater, and a number of other clothes that he piled in the lap of the Chiss who was now looking at him surprised.

”That's a bit better, for getting started at least. Now put something on before we go back to the Captain. ”

The Chiss, still dumbfounded, pulled on a very neutral-looking gray sweater and brown pants.

Corso nodded in approval.

”It's very... different,” the Chiss commented as he was looking at his new outfit.

”The clothes? I bet! Risha says she's never seen a material quite like the fabric of your uniform. A pity it got burned.”

”No, that's not it. I mean, you were never just handed things in the Empire. And all of these are so well cared for. Everything smells clean like it was just washed.”

”Of course. Seetoo makes sure of that. And I don't want to smell bad in front of the Captain. Or anyone.” Corso chuckled. ”We should get back to her now.”

The Chiss carried the rest of the clothes in his lap as he followed the man to the kitchen, walking slightly more steadily now.

”Oh! Perfect timing!” Shamyrah said happily as she saw them. ”The caf is ready!”

”I hope it is to your liking, Masters,” C2-N2 commented as he placed the cups on the counter. ”And a tea for you, Master! Just the way you like it!”

”Thank you, Seetoo.” Shamyrah smiled at the droid and returned her attention to the two. ”You look a lot better already,” she commented as she looked at the Chiss and offered him the cup of caf.

”I think it's about time we stopped referring to you as 'the Chiss',” she mused.

The Chiss looked at her with his usual frown.

”Why? Most people do that.”

”But you are going to be living here from now on. We aren't 'most people' and it feels a bit rude,” Shamyrah explained. ”You must have a name, right?”

The Chiss stared at her for a moment in silence. He sighed and took a sip from his cup before he finally answered.

”I did. A long time ago. In the Empire I had many titles and codenames, but no one used my real name. And when I decided to defect, I waived all the rights I had for that name for good, severing my connection to both families.”

Shamyrah realized she knew very little about Chiss and their culture. She got the feeling that family was of extreme importance to them if it was directly linked to their names, but for someone to lose his name entirely was unheard of. She looked at the Chiss, wondering about it.

”Can you explain that to me?” she finally asked.

The Chiss shrugged tiredly.

”There isn't much to say. Usually one part of the name comes from your birth family, another from the family you serve. It can change over time for several reasons. In my case, betraying the Empire also meant sacrificing my right to return to the Chiss Ascendancy or my home planet. Both families would disown a traitor, so carrying their names would be wrong. It would bring them dishonor.”

”I see,” Shamyrah said, trying to wrap her mind around the foreign concepts. ”I'm a bit curious. Would it be wrong to at least tell me what your name used to be?”

The Chiss thought for a moment.

”I guess it's fine. My name was Yal'oni'sodrasi.”

”Yal...” Shamyrah tried to repeat the name, but gave up. ”I don't think I can pronounce that right.”

”Doesn't matter. It's not my name anymore,” the Chiss reminded. ”All that remains of that name is Oni, so there's not much...”

”Oni?” Shamyrah interrupted. ”But isn't that fine for a name too?”

The Chiss raised an eyebrow surprised.

”I don't know,” he said, but his voice had a thoughtful tone now. ”You think so?”

”Yeah, it's nice and easy to say. And I think the crew would like it,” she assured with a smile.

”Oni...” The Chiss tried the name. ”It doesn't feel right when it's not connected to a family,” he admitted. ”But I might get used to it.”

”We can think of something else if you don't like it,” Shamyrah suggested. ”But I think Oni is alright.”

The Chiss – Oni – nodded in approval.

”It will do.”

Shamyrah smiled warmly.

”And you know, Oni, for what it's worth, you are always welcome in our family.”

Oni looked at her with wide eyes like he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

”That's right, son.” Corso confirmed from the doorway. He had been listening in silence while drinking his caf.

Oni turned to look at him in even more disbelief and just stared at him for a long while.

”Umm, did I say something wrong?” Corso asked.

Shamyrah giggled.

”Son?” Oni asked and looked at them both in turn.

”Like I said, you are a part of our family now,” Shamyrah explained with a smile while Corso realized what he had just said out loud with an embarrassed blush.

”Me and Corso talked about this while you were still out cold, but we'd gladly take you in as our son,” she said. ”But only if you want to, of course,” she added quickly.

”Adoption?” Oni pondered quietly, clearly overwhelmed by the idea.

”Just take your time and think about it, okay,” Corso said after he finally found his voice again.

The Chiss kept staring at them bewildered for a while before he spoke again.

”Can't you realize that in my condition I'm not of any use to you,” he whispered. ”I won't be able to do anything for you in a long time...”

Corso frowned.

”Use? We aren't recruiting you for a job! We are inviting you to the family!”

Shamyrah nodded in agreement.

”Exactly! What kind of upbringing did you even have for you to think like that? Being useful isn't what a family is about!”

”I'll be happy if you want to help here,” Corso admitted. ”But only if it's because you actually want to do it. We aren't going to force you to do anything.”

Shamyrah noticed the Chiss had started shaking slightly and she placed her hand on his encouragingly. He tensed at first, but relaxed quickly, letting her hold his hand with both of hers.

”We brought you here without asking you if that's what you wanted. We are never going te require or demand anything from you in return. If you accept our offer, that alone will make us happy. And if not, you are still free to stay for as long as you wish, or go wherever you want to.”

The Chiss remained silent, so Shamyrah continued.

”In a family, people help each other because they care and want the other to be happy, that's what it's about.”

”I'm not sure I know what that means,” the Chiss said quietly.

Shamyrah felt a pang of sadness.

”Take your time,” she adviced. ”You must have had it rough so it's only natural to be unable to trust others or to rely on them. Just try to remember that we are here for you. Maybe one day you'll know what it means.”

She had let go of the hand of the Chiss to wrap her arms around him, and when he didn't move away or reject it, pulled him into a gentle hug, just holding him in her arms for a long time. Corso joined them, wrapping his arms around both of them.

*****

”Oni, huh?” Corso tried the name once he was alone with Shamyrah in the lounge. ”I would have loved to name him, but that's not a bad name either.”

Shamyrah snorted. ”Yeah, I'm sure you would have given him a great name!”

”What?” Corso retorted, but smiled warmly. ”My names are always great!”

”Of course.”

Shamyrah leaned close to him so their foreheads touched.

Corso shared the tender moment with her before he got more serious.

”About our Chiss son... You think Oni is going to be alright?”

Shamyrah sighed.

”No, not in a long time.”

”That's what I thought,” Corso lamented. ”I feel for the kid.”

Shamyrah smiled at the change in his attitude. It surprised her how easily he had accepted the Chiss as their child, but it made her happy.

”We'll just have to make it as easy for him as possible. Be there for him as his new family with lots of love and care, you know,” Shamyrah said.

”Love and care, huh? Sounds good,” Corso said as he leaned closer to her and pulled Shamyrah into his embrace.

*****

”I've been watching the Chiss,” Akaavi told Shamyrah.

”Thank you. I really don't think we'll have to worry about him turning against us though. But for his own good it's probably a good idea to not leave him alone.”

”I agree. I have never seen a Chiss act like him.”

”What do you mean?” Shamyrah asked.

”All the pride and dignity they tend to have is gone. He may have been a warrior once, but I don't know what he is now,” she explained with a nearly disgusted expression on her face. ”Whatever he was fighting, it would have been better for him if he had died in that battle.”

”Don't say that,” Shamyrah scolded her. ”As long as he's alive, he can start over and become whatever he wants to. It's just going to take some time.”

”I hope you are right.”

Akaavi shrugged, but her expression made it very clear that she disapproved.

Shamyrah sighed as she watched the Mandalorian walk away. She knew that Akaavi was still fighting her own battle with her regrets and probably saw herself in the Chiss and took the situation more personally than she'd like anyone to know. She'd also need more time to deal with her own past.

Thinking about the two, Shamyrah reached the door to the medbay and walked inside, balancing the meal that had been prepared for the Chiss by C2-N2.

Oni was staying in the medbay for now, so they could monitor his health more easily. But soon it would be time to prepare sleeping quarters for him in one of the rooms on the ship.

”Good morning,” Shamyrah greeted when the Chiss noticed her. ”I brought you something, I thought you must be hungry.”

”I appreciate it,” Oni said in a serious tone as he took the plate and gazed at the food.

He had been talking with Corso who was already in the room before Shamyrah entered.

”Morning, Captain!” Corso said cheerfully as Shamyrah sat down next to him.

There was a moment when no one said anything as Oni finished his meal.

”Thank you,” he said once he was done, and placed the empty plate on the small table that had been brought to the room for him.

”Just let us know if you need more,” Shamyrah told him with a warm smile.

Oni nodded.

”Was there something else?” He asked, looking at both of them in turn.

”Before you defected,” Corso started and hesitated for a moment. ”What did you use to do? I mean, other than being an Imperial...”

”Once I joined the Empire, that was my life,” Oni commented, looking slightly confused.

”I guess... But what kind of jobs did you do? Anythin' you were good at?”

The Chiss raised an eyebrow and looked at Corso in silence for a moment as he thought about it.

”I see,” he finally said. ”I'm not sure if any of my skills will be of use to you.”

”Not this again. I didn't mean it like that!”

”We just want to get to know you a little better, that's all,” Shamyrah explained.

Oni looked at her in turn, clearly not convinced, but he nodded.

”I was an Intelligence agent and skilled at uncovering conspiracies and catching criminal organizations.”

”Like a detective, huh?” Corso said with some awe in his voice.

”Something like that. But I didn't learn most of those skills in the Empire.” Oni paused for a moment. ”I was in the Secret Police on Csilla, my home planet, and I used to hunt down criminals. I believe that's what I'm best at.”

He paused when he noticed Corso and Shamyrah exchanging uncomfortable looks.

”Oh... Smugglers, right..?”

”Yeah, although sanctioned by the Government these days,” Shamyrah confirmed.

Oni nodded with his usual serious look on his face.

”It's alright. Smugglers weren't exactly my target to begin with. My job was to find underground crime organizations. Big ones.”

”Hey! We are a pretty big deal too!” Corso protested.

”Corso!” Shamyrah admonished him and laughed.

Oni looked at them in silence for a moment, but Shamyrah gave him a reassuring smile and nodded for him to continue.

”In any case, those times are over now,” he shrugged. ”Besides, I owe you my life. But if you ever need someone tracked or an organization uncovered, I will be in your service.”

”Actually,” Corso started.

”That can wait,” Shamyrah interrupted him gently and turned back to Oni. ”Was there anything else you did? Any other jobs? Or hobbies? Things you enjoyed doing?”

”You don't have hobbies in the service of the Empire,” Oni stated flatly. ”But I got pretty good with medicine and first aid,” he added quietly.

”Oh? That's handy!” Shamyrah complimented. ”We don't really have a trained medic here in the crew.”

”I'm not a trained professional. But I do have some experience,” the Chiss corrected. ”You seem to have done a fine job anyway,” he added while he gestured at himself.

”We are trying. All of us can handle some level of first aid, but it's far from perfect. I'm sorry we couldn't get you more professional help.”

Oni looked at her visibly surprised.

”No apologies needed, what you did was more than I would have expected from anyone.”

Shamyrah placed her hand on his shoulder gently.

”From now on we'll always be there for you. You can count on us.”

”Thank you.”

*****

Later that day, Corso wanted to check on the Chiss again, but found the infirmary empty. It wasn't a reason for concern as Oni was allowed to move around the ship freely. If he had enough energy to leave the medbay on his own, that was definitely a good sign. Soon he could get his own bed on the ship.

After a moment of searching, Corso found the Chiss sitting on the couch in the lounge, wrapped in a blanket. His glowing red eyes were looking up at him as he approached.

”Hey there, Oni,” he greeted cheerfully while trying his best to ignore the slightly uneasy feeling those eyes still gave him. He should have gotten over any xenophobic feelings by now, but the idea of Chiss being the enemy had been deeply ingrained to his mind during the war.

Oni nodded his silent acknowledgement as Corso sat down next to him.

”Is it okay for me to call you Oni?”

The Chiss shrugged indifferently.

”Call me whatever you prefer.”

”Really?” Corso looked at him with a spark in his eyes. ”I've got a nickname for everyone here, so how about,” he thought for a moment. ”Blue'y?”

The excitement faded from Corso's face when he saw the glare the Chiss was giving him.

”Okay, maybe it's not that great a name,” he conceded quickly. ”Captain didn't think I should name you either.”

The features of the Chiss softened and he actually snorted.

”Wait, was that a laugh?” Corso cocked his head to the side as he looked at Oni.

The Chiss had his usual serious look on his face again.

”Blue'y? Really?” He shook his head.

Both sat in an awkward silence for a moment before Oni spoke again.

”I don't think I've ever had a nickname before.”

”Never?”

”No. I've had countless codenames over the years and people on Csilla knew me by my core name, but not a name like this. I am actually a bit moved,” he admitted. ”Even when it is a strange one.”

Oh, come on, not you too!” Corso protested with a smile on his face.

”You may use that name, but just because it's you.” The Chiss was silent for a moment before he continued quietly; ”I owe you and the captain a lot.”

Corso frowned.

”Hey, you are part of the family now, Blue'y. I mean, Oni. This is what families do!”

The glowing eyes were staring at him intensely.

”I apologize.”

”What for?”

”You keep telling me that, but I still find it hard to believe anyone would give anything to someone like me without expecting something in return.

Corso was silent for a moment after hearing those words. Shamyrah had been right, and it would take a lot of time to earn the trust of their new son. Clearly he had been abused by the people he should have been able to rely on and no longer believed anyone would help him without ulterior motives.

”No, it's me who should apologize. Just take your time, okay? You'll see it's different here,” Corso promised.”You are free now.”

Oni nodded slowly.

Even if he didn't trust or believe in anyone, at least he was willing to listen and observe. Corso thought that was enough, for now. They would show him what it means to be a part of a family that cares about him. He thought for a moment.

”Maybe I could give you something. You know, a little gift.”

”For what reason?” Oni asked cautiously.

”I don't know,” Corso shrugged. ”Doesn't matter. Because you are here?”

He had opened a crate that was near the couch in the lounge and was rummaging through the contents.

”Blasted, I could have sworn I had them both here,” he muttered as he was digging through what seemed to be a pile of clothes.

Oni peeked over his shoulder with some curiosity.

Corso was holding a sock in one hand, the kind that was clearly hand-made and had way too many colors to match with any other clothes.

Oni studied the sock with his gaze while Corso kept searching.

”That looks like it was made with love. Are you sure you want to give it away?”

”Yeah, my mother used to make these every year. I never used them much, but I thought I could give these to you because they are warm and this place is way too cold,” Corso explained. ”But looks like I can't find the pair. Can't really give you a single sock, can I,” he huffed in frustration.

”I accept,” Oni said.

Corso turned away from the crate and looked at him surprised.

”Really? It's not much of a gift if it's just a single sock.”

”Your mother must have really cared about you. Where is she now?”

”Dead,” Corso answered quietly. ”Has been for years. Both my parents died in an attack at home.”

Oni nodded quietly. ”I thought so. Yet you are still giving this to me?”

Corso shrugged. ”I thought you needed them more now, and you are part of the family. You are our son.”

”I think I understand why you wanted me to have them. So I accept the offer.”

Corso was still looking slightly confused, but he stood up and handed the single sock to Oni. The Chiss took the gift from him and held it in his hands like a priceless treasure.

”Thank you. It's been a long time since anyone gave me a gift. Except for all the things you and the captain have already given me.”

”That needs to change. Next time I'll get you something more useful, I promise!”

*****

Ever since that day, it wasn't unusual to spot the Chiss wearing mismatched socks on the ship. At first it got some attention and curious looks from the crew, but everyone got accustomed to his unusual fashion choices quickly and shrugged it off as just another quirk of his with no questions asked.

Although Risha noticed that Corso had a funny expression on his face whenever he saw Oni wearing them, but even she left it at that.

The crew was getting more used to Oni's presence, so it no longer startled them to see his eyes glow in the darkness whenever the Chiss was awake before the others – which was most of the time. He had been given a bed of his own, but he seemed to prefer sleeping on the couch most nights and usually woke up way earlier than the others, so it wasn't unusual to run into him in the darkness. He was also very good at finding places to hide on the ship, so sometimes the crew wouldn't see him in a long time.

But just as the crew was growing accustomed to his presence, he was also growing more accustomed to his new life, so he'd spend more and more time in the lounge, usually with a datapad borrowed from Shamyrah. He nodded politely to the others as they greeted him.

”There is something I really need,” the Chiss told Shamyrah hesitantly.

”Just name it, I'd be happy to help!”

”No, I'm afraid this is something I need to take care of on my own.”

Shamyrah frowned, but nodded in understanding.

”So, what do you need to do? Can we help?”

”I have all the data I've been able to find here.” He pointed at the datapad. ”But it's not enough. As I suspected, I'll need to slice into the Imperial network to get it.”

”Can I ask you what it is about?”

Oni sighed tiredly.

”It's probably best if you don't know. But I won't get you in trouble, if that's what you are worried about.”

Shamyrah thought for a moment, and decided not to pry any further.

”Very well, I trust you. But you'll need to get to an Imperial base for that, right?”

Oni nodded.

”Won't that put you in danger though?”

Shamyrah gave him a worried look.

”Of course,” the Chiss conceded. ”Which is why I need to do this alone. I can't get you involved after everything you've done for me. But this is something I really need to do.” He was silent for a moment. ”And I am a Chiss. Most Imperials don't care about Chiss enough to be able to tell one from another, so as long as it's not the same outpost where I used to work, they won't recognize me.”

”I can't say I like the idea, but I understand,” Shamyrah said. ”If it's something you really need to do, at least we can escort you through the Republic territory and keep watch. You shouldn't need to deal with this alone, no matter what.”

”Thank you,” Oni whispered. He closed his eyes and there was a hint of pain in his expression.

”Anytime.” Shamyrah patted the Chiss on his shoulder. ”But it's getting late, so we should leave that for tomorrow. Is that alright?”

The Chiss nodded.

”Good. I'll speak with Corso and the others. We'll have your back.” Shamyrah smiled at him. ”Just be careful, okay?”

”I will, thank you.”

Oni had a grateful and relieved look in his eyes, but Shamyrah could see that he was also really tired. He'd need rest.

”Tomorrow it is then,” she said once more, before walking out of the room. ”Good night, Oni.”

* * *

Enjoy some art about the characters and story:

[ ](http://fav.me/ddx8g4o)

[ ](http://fav.me/ddqedwy)

[ ](https://underestimated-power.tumblr.com/)

[ ](https://justanotherswtorblog.tumblr.com/post/623677583226224640/sad-blue-boy)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. This chapter was originally supposed to have more stuff happening, but it was getting long enough so I saved the action for the next chapters. Now there will likely be four or even more chapters, but I don't think that's a problem. xD 
> 
> And I think it's nice to have a calm chapter with slower pace after all that. Oni certainly deserves some time to just rest and recover and get accustomed to his new life and family. 
> 
> Many headcanons and references in this chapter were provided by SamiraHeaven93


	3. Poison

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for some action! Beware that this chapter includes some content some people may be uncomfortable with. Read the tags before you proceed if you are unsure!

”Here.”

Shamyrah dropped the pieces of light armor on the table in front of Oni. The Chiss had been awake before anyone else as usual and was sitting on the couch eating breakfast.

”It will draw more attention if you don't have any equipment,” she explained. ”Besides, if things get bad, it's better to have some protection at least.”

”But don't take any risks,” Corso warned.

”I know,” the Chiss said grimly. ”Thank you.”

”One more thing before we go,” Corso said as cheerfully as he could. ”You shouldn't go unarmed. Take this with you.”

Oni looked at the blaster offered to him. It was small and well cared for, very different from the weapons he used to handle. He shook his head.

”The clothes and armor won't be a problem, but if someone finds that on me, it won't end well.”

”I see.” Corso thought for a moment. ”Don't go anywhere, I'll be right back.”

Oni and Shamyrah watched as he left the room, then looked at each other.

The Chiss used the time to put on the armor and decided to wear his coat on top of it, placing the datapad and the slicer spike inside one of the pockets. It wasn't unusual for an Imperial agent or officer to carry such equipment so as long as no one decided to give them a closer look he'd be fine.

”Found it!” Corso smiled as he reappeared in the doorway again. ”I picked this up one day, but I'm more of a blaster type of guy so the poor thing has been neglected. But this is something you guys would use, right?”

Oni stared at the item the man was holding. It was a vibroblade and likely Imperial in origin. A simple weapon with nothing special about it, and very familiar to him. Seeing one gave him mixed feelings.

He nodded slowly and took the blade from the man. Oni could see a flash of something in Corso's eyes after he'd grabbed the vibroblade and inspected it in silence. Maybe seeing an armed Chiss still reminded him of something unpleasant. Oni chose to ignore the poorly hidden reaction and studied the blade instead.

”This will do. It won't draw the attention of anyone.”

He flicked the control and watched as an electric current sparked to life on the blade, momentarily illuminating his face in the dim light of the room. It was a weapon that could do a lot of damage, but only in close combat. But more than that, it was designed to stun the opponent with the electric current. And he had plenty of experience in using one.

”I'll take it.”

Corso smiled, and there was no sign of the uneasiness Oni had sensed in him earlier.

”Great! I can see the blade is in good hands. I'd prefer if you had a blaster, but now you won't be walking in there defenceless at least!”

Shamyrah had to agree. And Hoth was full of other dangers as well, from the wildlife to the hostile pirate groups.

”Either way, try to avoid conflict there. A vibroblade won't be much help if they are firing blasters at you,” she warned.

Oni nodded.

”Going unnoticed used to be my speciality. And I need to do this no matter what.”

”If you say so.”

Corso had a slight frown on his face, clearly unconvinced.

”Give us a call the moment you need help.”

He gave the Chiss a small comm device. Oni eyed it for a moment.

”Assuming they aren't jamming the signal,” he reminded grimly, but added the small device in his pocket as well.

”Yeah, that seems likely,” Shamyrah lamented. ”But we'll watch from the distance. If anything unusual happens, we'll be there.”

The Chiss nodded gratefully.

”I still can't believe you'd trust me this far. I was an Imperial, you know.”

”You haven't given us any reason not to. We want to believe you are truly on our side now,” Shamyrah told him calmly.

”That is naive of you. You don't even know why I'm going there,” Oni admonished, but there was gratitude and relief in his expression. ”One day that will cost you.”

”Maybe so,” Corso agreed. ”But I'd rather trust someone and take that disappointment than leave people in trouble just because I didn't believe them, you know.”

”You guys are really going to do it?” Risha commented from the doorway. ”You'd better make it back alive, alright. I want to get off this block of ice as soon as possible, and I can't fly this thing alone, you know.”

”I'm sure this won't be any more dangerous than our usual missions,” Shamyrah replied.

Risha snorted.

”How reassuring.” She turned her attention to Oni. ”And you. You'd better take this.” She tossed a knitted hat to the Chiss.

Oni caught the hat and stared at it for a moment. The design was simple, something that didn't draw attention but would do its job at keeping someone's head warm.

”I've told you I can endure cold well.”

Risha shook her head slightly.

”Trust me, we know. But have you looked in a mirror? If that burnt hair of yours doesn't catch their attention, the Imps are more stupid than they've led us to believe,” she retorted. ”No offense.”

Oni pulled the hat on his head as Risha walked out of the room.

”She's worried about you,” Shamyrah commented as she watched her go.

”I can relate.” Corso sighed. ”But if this is something that must be done, then it must be done.”

Shamyrah nodded thoughtfully.

”Right. Bowie and Akaavi should be waiting for us already, so let's get this done.”

*****

The guards at the outpost barely glanced at Oni as he walked through the gate and entered the outpost with all the confidence of an Imperial. Most of them didn't want to deal with a Chiss and were too busy just trying to stay warm in the freezing weather to bother him. His casual clothes identified him as non-military staff or possibly an officer off duty, so they didn't even need to bother saluting him, which worked just fine for Oni.

Inside the outpost was very similar to the others he had visited on Hoth. He followed the corridors until he found the room where the main computer would be. Non-military personnel would normally have no access there, so he'd have to lure out the officer working there.

Oni followed the wiring from the room to an electric hub and stabbed the vibroblade into the system from the side where the cause of the problem would be harder to identify. Activating the vibroblade caused a short circuit that would cut the electricity from the room until the backup system would take over. But having the officer exit the room in order to investigate the problem should buy him enough time to sneak inside, restart the computer, and slice the system for the files he needed to download.

The hub was spitting out sparks and a cloud of smoke and Oni walked away from it just in time to see a very agitated Imperial run out of the main computer room.

The Chiss walked past him with well-trained confidence, offering him a salute that was ignored in the officer's hurry to investigate the problem.

Oni walked inside the now empty room with no resistance. It only took a few seconds for the backup system to restart the electricity and for the computer to return online, so Oni got to work immediately, installing the slicer spike and typing in the words he was searching for.

Most of the intel about it was top secret and only in the hands of the Imperial Intelligence, but Oni already knew all about the purpose and effects, what he needed was a list of ingredients, and a location.

Finding those files, he started the download.

”Hey! What are you doing with the computer?”

Oni turned around and found another Chiss staring at him from the doorway in full Imperial uniform.

”I don't know you,” the Chiss said darkly. ”You have no authorization to be here.”

”Apologies,” Oni started, adjusting his tone to the role. ”I was just transferred and the Commander ordered me to get the latest status report, but no one was here when I arrived.”

The Chiss huffed and looked almost amused.

”Tough luck, that could have worked on someone else, but all the transfers go through me here.”

”I see,” Oni said flatly.

The Chiss reached for his blaster, but as soon as it was in his hand, Oni was already behind him.

”Sorry about this,” Oni whispered as he stabbed his vibroblade into the other's back. ”I really need those files.”

The Chiss screamed in pain when the blade struck him, but Oni flicked the switch on the weapon, sending the man convulsing to the floor where he remained silent.

Oni pulled out the blade and concealed it inside his coat once more, barely glancing at the body still twitching on the floor. The man would probably survive, but by the time he'd regain consciousness Oni would be gone.

He picked up the blaster the Chiss had dropped and returned to the computer. The download was nearly complete, just one more file and...

”Halt!”

Now it was five Imperial soldiers standing in the doorway with blasters pointed at him. They must have heard the scream of the Chiss, Oni mused as he analyzed the situation.

The Imperials spotted the body lying on the floor and the blaster Oni was still holding and fired. Dodging the first two blasts aimed at him, Oni ducked out of the way and rolled behing a console.

He managed to take down two of the five by carefully aimed shots before the rest of the Imperials took cover. In their moment of hesitation, Oni grabbed the datapad and the slicer spike and secured them inside his pocket.

He shot the computer, which exploded, destroying any evidence of his research and distracting the Imperials for long enough for Oni to sneak past them.

One of them turned around just as Oni passed him and fired his blaster. The shot went wide as Oni stabbed the Imperial swiftly with his vibroblade.

As the remaining two yelled for backup, Oni made his way out of the outpost. The entire staff of the base was now after him, but he was able to use the piles of snow for cover.

The commotion caught the attention of Shamyrah and the others and they were quickly by his side, blasters firing as they fought the Imperial forces on their way out.

”Did you get what you needed?” Shamyrah asked when they were finally out of the attack range.

”Yes, it's all on the datapad now,” Oni confirmed, sounding very exhausted.

”Good, I'm freezing. We can finally go back to the ship,” Corso complained, shivering.

Akaavi huffed.

”Clearly that wasn't enough enemies if you are still cold.”

Bowdaar told them that he was always happy to fight Imperials, but agreed with Corso this time. It was better to be where it was warm.

They were all relieved when they finally reached the spaceport.

The guards eyed them suspiciously just as they had when they left, but most of them recognized Shamyrah by now and had enough respect for her to stay out of her way. Her crew may have been quite unusual, but the stories of her achievements with the pirates and Imperials had spread far.

Inside the spaceport they avoided getting in the middle of the hustle and bustle. Even when most of the staff was well informed about Shamyrah and her unlikely companions, many of the people coming and going were unaware of her. She could deal with their xenophobic contempt, but it was likely their reaction to a Chiss in Republic territory would be even more hostile.

She felt relieved when she could see the door to the hangar bay.

Shamyrah reached the door when she realized that someone was missing. The others noticed the same thing and turned around just in time to see Oni collapse to the floor.

Shamyrah hurried to his side.

”Your injuries should have healed by now. What happened? Did you get wounded there after all?”

The Chiss grimaced and squeezed his eyes shut.

”It's... It's not that,” he managed to say.

Shamyrah could see he had started shaking violently and the trembling only got worse when Oni struggled to get up.

”Okay. Don't try to move,” she told him as she knelt down to get a better look at the man lying on the floor.

”Is he going to be alright?” Corso was looking at them with concern in his warm eyes.

”Can you tell us what's wrong?” Shamyrah tried again and placed her hand reassuringly on the shoulder of the Chiss.

He opened his eyes but avoided her gaze.

”It's...” He started, and after a moment of hesitation he looked up at the people standing around him.

”I need to speak with the captain,” he finally told them. ”Alone.”

No one moved at first, and Oni closed his eyes as another tremor shook his body.

”Please,” he whispered quietly.

”Return to the ship,” Shamyrah ordered the others with the authority of a captain.

”But...” Corso looked at her with an alarmed expression.

Shamyrah's expression softened as she turned her attention to him.

”Don't worry about me. I'll give you a call if anything happens,” she reassured him.

”Okay then,” Corso agreed, even when the concern never left his eyes. ”I'll keep the comm ready.”

With that, he returned to the ship with Akaavi and Bowdaar, leaving Shamyrah with the Chiss in the spaceport.

Shamyrah returned her attention to Oni. The man was staring somewhere in the distance with a blank expression on his face, so she gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze with her hand to get his attention.

The Chiss blinked in surprise and looked at Shamyrah like he had just realized she was there.

”How are you holding up?” She asked with a soft tone in her voice. ”It's just us now, so tell me everything, okay?”

Shamyrah had removed her scarf and folded it into a makeshift pillow for the still trembling Chiss to make him more comfortable as she sat cross-legged on the floor next to him.

”Does this happen often?”

”No.” Oni took a deep breath. ”Normally I have it under control.” He paused and let his gaze wander around the room. ”It's probably because I haven't gotten my fix of the serum in a while,” he explained tiredly.

Shamyrah frowned slightly.

”Serum? I didn't take you for a spice -”

”I'm not,” Oni interrupted her. ”Not the way you think,” he added quietly.

”Hmm? Okay then. I'm not going to judge you, so just tell me all about it,” Shamyrah encouraged him with her hand still on his shoulder.

”I doubt you've ever heard about Castellan restraints?”

The Chiss nearly hissed the words and Shamyrah shook her head.

”No, doesn't ring a bell.”

”As expected,” Oni sighed. ”I hadn't either. Not until it was used on me.”

Shamyrah felt the man grow tense under her touch but waited for him to continue without saying anything.

”The IX serum – the drug I use - keeps the hallucinations and nightmares under control.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he continued. ”The original purpose of the serum was to... reprogram my brain to allow others to control my mind, an experimental form of brainwashing.”

Shamyrah gasped audibly, and the Chiss looked at her with the tired expression she had seen on his face so many times already.

”No need to worry, no one else is controlling my mind anymore,” he said quietly. ”But that's thanks to the process being repeated, so my body got accustomed to having those chemicals in my bloodstream and now I can't live without them.”

”Withdrawal symptoms...” Shamyrah nodded as she was processing what she'd heard.

”Precisely,” the Chiss conceded. ”But at this point the serum is the lesser evil. The mind control came with... consequences I'd rather not have to deal with.”

”Like this? And the hallucinations?”

Oni just nodded.

”You poor thing!” Shamyrah could no longer contain her emotional outburst as she reached for the Chiss with both hands and pulled him into an awkward hug.

At first the man tensed, but slowly he let his guard down and leaned his head against the captain's shoulder.

”But why? Why would anyone do that to you?” Shamyrah asked while holding the Chiss gently.

”Believe me, I was wondering the same thing for a long time,” Oni sighed. ”Apparently I was too dangerous for the Empire to have a free will.”

Shamyrah hugged the man more tightly.

”So that's why you defected,” she noted.

”It's a part of it, yes.”

The captain was silent for a while and just held Oni in her arms as she processed what she had heard.

”So what do we do now?” She finally asked. ”Is there any way we could help?”

Oni hesitated for a moment before he answered.

”It's all on the datapad. The ingredients needed, the locations where those supplies are stored, everything.”

”So that's what this mission was about?”

”More or less. The IX serum is a secret even within the Empire so it would take quite a leak for that information to reach the Republic. There's nothing on the holonet and even in the Imperial database you'd need to know exactly what you are looking for.”

”Can I take a look?”

”On the files?” Oni looked at her tiredly. ”I've told you this much already, so go ahead.”

”Good. I'll try to help you, I promise.”

”Thank you, I really appreciate it,” Oni whispered. ”Just don't tell the others,” he pleaded.

”I'll try,” Shamyrah promised. ”It's best if you explain it to them yourself. They'll probably find out sooner or later.”

Oni nodded.

”Think you can walk?” Shamyrah asked.

”Let's find out.”

Shamyrah had a serious, but determined look on her face as she helped the Chiss back to his feet and they walked back to the ship slowly.

*****

On the ship the others were acting as if nothing had happened. Or tried to. Their curious and concerned looks didn't escape Shamyrah's attention when she entered the ship with Oni, but everyone knew better than to ask any questions about the earlier situation. She'd tell them if they needed to know.

Oni slept in the medbay that night, just in case, with Seetoo keeping watch.

Shamyrah didn't sleep that night. She was busy studying the data Oni had downloaded on the datapad.

The files had almost no mention about the serum itself, but reading about the effects each of the ingredients had on a person made her feel disgusted. These weren't something that should ever be used on anyone, yet it was something the Chiss now relied on.

With a sigh she put the datapad away.

*****

The next day was as normal as it ever got on that ship. Shamyrah met a contact for some hints about the crimelord they were tracking and sorted through that data on the ship, planning their next move with the crew gathered around the holo terminal.

Oni was listening to their conversation from the corner of the room. He didn't know all the details about their mission on Hoth so he had little to contribute, but he was starting to get the gist of it.

As he understood, it was a mission to infiltrate the White Maw pirates in order to find someone called Rogun. It sounded like the kind of mission he did best, so he lamented his inability to help.

Occasionally there was a mention of someone called Voidwolf. The Chiss thought the name was somewhat familiar. He'd have to look it up later, but the captain still had the datapad so that would have to wait.

Oni still hadn't figured out how the Jedi contact that got mentioned from time to time was connected to all that.

Thinking about those details was slowly giving him a headache, and he shook his head.

Somehow the voices of everyone were getting blurred and it was getting harder and harder to understand what they were saying. Oni could have sworn their shadows were also growing longer.

He shook his head again, realizing what was happening a bit too late.

Oni hissed.

The abrupt noise made the rest of the crew turn to look at where he was standing, just to find him bent over and holding his head with both hands, clearly in pain. The hiss turned into a pained groan and the Chiss fell on his knees.

”Again?!”

Corso was fast enough to be by his side and catch him before he collapsed to the floor completely, Shamyrah following soon after.

”Hey! Are you okay?” Corso tried, looking extremely worried.

The Chiss twitched, but he wasn't looking at either of them. Instead his eyes widened in panic as he stared at something in the empty space in front of him, and he struggled to move backwards to avoid this threat that was invisible to everyone else.

Shamyrah placed one hand soothingly on the man's shoulder and covered his eyes gently with the other.

”It's alright, Oni. Whatever you are seeing isn't there. You are safe here.”

Oni whimpered quietly, but stopped struggling to escape.

Corso turned to look at Shamyrah.

”What's wrong with him? Some kind of a medical condition?”

Shamyrah looked at the Chiss sadly. Oni was now leaning against her shoulder, clearly unconscious, with her and Corso's arms keeping him from falling to the floor.

”Something like that,” she finally said after thinking about it for a moment. ”There is a medicine he needs.”

”Then we need to get him that medicine,” Corso declared.

”It's not that simple.”

”I bet the stuff is illegal,” Risha piped in.

Akaavi gave her a knowing look and shook her head little.

”What? Just stating the obvious.”

”She is right.” Shamyrah sighed. ”It's also very rare, so we'll need to ask some of our contacts for the ingredients.”

Corso listened to the exchange clearly confused.

”If it helps, we'll have to do it, right?”

”I agree,” Shamyrah confirmed with a nod. ”Now, can you help me get him on the couch?”

*****

”Sorry about that,” Oni apologized when he woke up and found Shamyrah and Corso by his side.

”It's not your fault,” Shamyrah said soothingly. ”More than that, I should be the one apologizing. Now everyone knows. Well, more or less.”

The Chiss sighed.

”It can't be helped.”

Shamyrah placed a hand on his shoulder.

”We'll postpone the mission here until you feel better. I'm sorry I didn't do that immediately.”

”No need to apologize. The mission must be important,” Oni said. ”And I understand if you don't approve,” he added quietly.

”You are more important than the mission,” Shamyrah told the Chiss. ”And like I said, this isn't your fault, so it's not you I disapprove. It's the people who did this to you.”

Corso inclined his head with a frown on his face.

”Someone did this to him?”

Shamyrah looked at Oni.

”He can tell you himself when he's ready.”

Corso looked at them both in turn.

”Fine. I understand if it's not something you want to talk about. But you need to tell us if there is anything we can do to help, okay?”

Oni nodded. He looked extremely tired so Shamyrah covered him with a blanket.

”You should know that while you were unconscious, I called some of the contacts both me and Risha have to ask for those ingredients. None of them had any on hand, but they seemed to be familiar with some of the locations on your list. So just hang in there a bit longer.”

”Thank you,” the Chiss managed, looking surprised.

Shamyrah thought for a moment.

”One more thing. If you are going to need medical help regularly, it would be important to know about your specific needs. We don't have any medical data on Chiss here, but would the Imperial medical droids have that?”

Oni stared at her dumbfounded.

”They have the basics at least,” he finally told her. ”What about it? Don't tell me you are going to steal an Imperial droid.”

Corso was looking at Shamyrah equally surprised, but he smiled. That was exactly the kind of plan you could expect from the Captain.

*****

A few days later, one of Shamyrah's underworld contacts sent her a message with nothing but a set of coordinates on it.

Naturally the captain knew what it meant. The supplies she had requested were waiting for her to collect them. For a high price of course, but as much as she liked money, her family mattered to her even more than any amount of credits would.

She flew the ship to the planet and rented a speeder to reach her destination, accompanied by Risha this time. Risha knew the area better than anyone else after all.

In the coordinates they found a Twi'lek sitting on top of a crate, enjoying a drink as she watched the people passing by. She spotted Shamyrah as she parked the speeder a small distance away and walked to meet the woman.

”Ha! Never thought I'd see you try this side of the business! This is some rare stuff right here! I trust you have credits.”

Shamyrah ignored the implications and shrugged. The less this person knew, the better, for both of them. And she already knew the Twi'lek hardly cared as long as she got paid.

”I can pay, don't worry. Did you get everything?”

”Oh, I did! But quite a shopping list you had there! You wouldn't believe how much trouble I had to go through to get all of that! Good thing I know some Imps who take bribes!” She laughed loudly.

”Yes, I can see how that could come in handy,” Shamyrah agreed even when she was starting to feel more and more uncomfortable. This was another reason she had brought Risha. Not only did she know the area, but she also knew how to socialize with the fringe.

”Can I take a look?” Shamyrah asked while nodding at Risha to take over.

”Go ahead!” The Twi'lek stood up so Shamyrah could open the crate. ”Just don't try anything funny.”

Shamyrah nodded and let the two have a chat while she made sure the crate contained everything she'd ordered. Risha clearly had some business of her own with the Twi'lek so Shamyrah waited until they were finished.

In the end she had to hand over nearly half of her savings, but the price would have been even higher if Risha hadn't been around to haggle the price.

As they were about to leave, the Twi'lek called out to Shamyrah one more time.

”A word of advice. That stuff is hard! It will mess you up real bad, so don't try it on yourself!”

Shamyrah nodded at her and sighed. She knew. She had seen what it could do to someone, and a part of her felt awful for providing more. Yet she knew that Oni needed it.

On the way back to the ship, Shamyrah poked Risha on her shoulder.

”There is one other place I'd like to visit.”

She showed her another set of coordinates.

”You serious? That's Imperial area,” Risha protested.

”Exactly. I'd like to pick up a medical droid.”

”A droid?!”

Shamyrah nodded.

”Okay, this better be worth it. You are doing this for the Chiss, right?” Risha asked as she turned the speeder for their new course.

”Yeah. We don't have any medical data on Chiss and it looks like we are going to need that. But let's try to make this a short visit.”

Risha actually smiled at that.

”Sure thing, it's not like I was expecting this to be a quiet night.”

*****

Shamyrah had to admit she was impressed when Risha detonated the explosives she had set behind some fuel containers, causing a massive fire. The explosion effectively drew the attention of the Imperials away from the medbay, leaving the droid standing there alone.

”Worked like a charm,” Risha noted as she watched the commotion from their hiding place.

”Now we just need to figure out how to grab the droid without getting their attention,” Shamyrah mused.

”I say we blast it,” was Risha's response.

”Wait, what?! But we need it in working condition.”

”Aw, come on. I can put that thing back together with my eyes closed.”

Shamyrah shook her head. It seemed like Risha was in an unusually good mood.

”If you say so. Do what you deem best.”

Risha got up and aimed her blaster, taking the droid down with a single shot. The noise from the fire and explosions masked her blaster shot effectively.

”See? Easy!”

”I must admit that was something,” Shamyrah complimented. ”Now let's grab the droid and get out of here!”

*****

Back on the ship, Risha got to work on the droid immediately, while Shamyrah searched for Oni to bring him the news.

She found him on the couch with Corso, looking miserable.

”Welcome back, Captain!” Corso greeted her happily, and then turned serious. ”Oni had one of those again, I don't think he's doing well.”

Shamyrah nodded and sat down next to the two.

The Chiss opened his eyes slightly to look at her.

”Did you have any luck?” Corso asked.

”Yeah, we have everything now. Even got the droid. Risha is working on that right now.”

”Really? That's great!”

”But I'm afraid only Oni knows how to mix these ingredients without turning it into something deadly.”

The Chiss took a shaky breath and looked at her intently.

”That... That's not a problem. I can do it now,” he mumbled.

”You sure? You don't look so good right now,” Shamyrah cautioned.

Oni sighed weakly.

”I know, but I'd rather do that as soon as possible. The lapses are nearly constant now,” he admitted quietly.

”I'm really sorry. I'll bring theingredients and tools to the medbay for you.”

Oni nodded and wobbled back to his feet, making his way to the medbay as well.

*****

It was late when the Chiss was done. Corso had gone to help Risha, but Shamyrah had remained in the medbay, watching Oni work.

Now the drug was in the syringe and the Chiss had sat down on one of the beds, leaning his back against the wall to catch his breath with his eyes closed.

He had turned off the main light. Apparently it made his symptoms worse, so now the room was nearly dark, although Shamyrah suspected the Chiss could see just fine in the dark too.

”You don't need to stay,” Oni said as he opened his eyes and saw that Shamyrah had remained seated next to him in the dim light of the room.

She shook her head slightly.

”I know you can handle it on your own,” she agreed. ”But as the one in charge here, I want to understand,” she added and looked him in the eyes.

Shamyrah had done her research on the ingredients of the drug while looking for ways to obtain some, and while there was barely any data about this particular product because of its top secret nature, almost all the sources talked about the neurological damage the ingredients caused. She had reasons to be concerned.

To her surprise, the Chiss merely shrugged.

”Do as you wish.”

He had folded his jacket on the table, and Shamyrah could see the still healing burn scars on his exposed arms and the veins bulging beneath them from being disturbed repeatedly.

She tried her best to hide any reaction from her face, but Oni must have noticed as his dimly glowing eyes caught hers.

The Chiss didn't say anything as he stabbed the needle through his skin with a practiced movement and waited for the automated syringe to inject the substance into his circulation.

He shuddered slightly and closed his eyes as the small container emptied its contents inside him.

”Does it hurt?” Shamyrah asked quietly.

The Chiss was silent for a moment and Shamyrah wasn't sure if he'd heard her.

Oni pulled the needle of the now empty syringe out of his vein carefully, pressing a finger on the small wound and leaned his head back against the wall, his eyes still closed.

”It's nothing compared to how it's without,” he finally said, his voice barely audible.

Shamyrah wasn't sure what to say so she settled on a simple ”okay”. She had witnessed enough of his lapses that she couldn't argue with that.

The Chiss opened his eyes, but didn't look at her, staring at the ceiling instead.

”I know you don't approve, and I can't blame you for that,” he said in a sad tone. ”But I don't think I could live with the... symptoms that I have without it...”

Shamyrah sighed.

”Don't get me wrong,” she said. ”I know this isn't your fault and it's bad if you don't get any. It's just that I'm worried. This can't be good for your body either.”

Oni raised his head and looked at her.

”You read the files?”

Shamyrah nodded.

”All of them,” she confirmed.

”I see,” Oni said with an unreadable expression on his face.

”There was barely anything about the IX serum you mentioned though,” Shamyrah added and shook her head.

”Hardly a surprise,” Oni commented. He was silent for a moment before he added; ”In any case, this only has trace amounts of dimalium-6 compared to the serum that started the whole thing.”

He pointed at the syringe. ”If I kept injecting the original mix into my body, I'd be braindead by now.”

The Chiss shrugged slightly as if the idea of vegetative state didn't even bother him.

”This is only effective enough to keep my mind from shattering.”

”I know.”

Shamyrah sighed again and leaned a bit closer to the Chiss, wrapping one arm around him gently.

Oni tensed only for a moment, before he relaxed enough to let her give him a hug. He was still far from used to being hugged, but he had to admit that being able to open up to someone, even if only a little, felt good.

”We'll consider this a medical treatment for you,” Shamyrah told him. ”For now,” she added. ”Until we find a more healthy alternative.”

”Thank you,” Oni whispered, his head leaning against her shoulder now. ”And thank you for finding it for me, even when you know its true nature.”

The Chiss looked extremely tired, but Shamyrah was happy to notice that some of the hair that had been burned when they found the man was growing back on his head. Eventually he might look like the Chiss on the holo recording again.

She smiled.

”You are part of the family now, of course we'll help you.”

* * *

Thank you for reading. Enjoy some art about the characters / story:

[ ](http://fav.me/ddwk4xl)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was such a rollercoaster to write! I'm glad that the Chiss son can have a slightly more active role now, but obviously he's still a mess. And remember, DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME! No stabbing knives to electric outlets and don't do drugs! And don't steal anyone's droids either.   
> I might return to fix some things on this chapter later, but right now I'm busy with art commissions and other projects so I wanted to get this chapter online before I return my focus on those. I hope you've enjoyed the story so far! ^^


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